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The following feature story appeared in the campus publication MOSAIC in September, 1996.
Joe DeAngelis '97
Somehow it all gets done
President of his class last year, Joe DeAngelis '97 has won a raft of honors for his achievements in chemistry, mathematics, and physics. Yet it has been the physical jolts he has seen athletes take during competitions that has made this lettered athlete look to a career in orthopedic surgery as a way of one day making a "discernible difference" in the world."I know a great deal about bones and what can happen to them," the Springfield, Massachusetts native says of the injuries he has sustained in training and observed while an offensive lineman on Trinity's football team.
So it comes as little surprise that he gravitated to doing arthritis research while majoring in chemistry.
"Arthritis is a household problem that I was interested in exploring," said DeAngelis. His interest in medicine may be a family trait. DeAngelis' father is a dentist and his older brother is in his third year of medical school.
'Visualizing' in the lab
He got an opportunity to look at bones up close and in depth when he assisted associate professor of chemistry and department chair Richard Prigodich in his preliminary arthritis research examining proteins in bone."Using the new atomic force microscope in the engineering department, we imaged or 'visualized' two proteins, collagen and osteocalcin, and looked at how they interact," DeAngelis explained. "The microscope works like a record player. You drag the point of the needle across the surface of the sample, then shine a laser, and image the surface topography of the protein." DeAngelis said this preliminary research may provide clues to the onset of arthritis.
"Joe's got great intellectual gifts," Prigodich says of his assistant. "He's also a first-rate person. He's just a top-notch kid all around." Recipient of the prestigious Krieble-Loctite Scholarship for his outstanding achievement in chemistry, he has received the Phi Gamma Delta Prizes in Mathematics and Physics, and was named the class of 1997 Thomas Holland Scholar for having the highest rank in his class during his freshman and sophomore years. In 1996 he was awarded the Division of Analytical Chemistry Award from the American Chemical Society and was named to the academic All-NESCAC team in football. He also received the Bob Harron Award as the outstanding junior scholar-athlete in 1996.
An internship with the Whalers
Joe Fountain, Trinity's head trainer, offered DeAngelis a unique opportunity to intern with Dr. John Fulkerson, orthopedic surgeon for the Hartford Whalers hockey team."I wouldn't have chosen anyone less than stellar. Joe fit the mold and exceeded my expectations. He may not be the star of the football team, but he is dedicated to athletics, academics, and everything else he does," Fountain said.
Head football coach Don Miller echoes Fountain's sentiments and calls DeAngelis "an outstanding person and athlete. He's very bright, has a great attitude, and gives everything he's got in every play."
The experience with Dr. Fulkerson allowed DeAngelis an opportunity to see if orthopedics was a field he wanted to pursue. For the spring semester of his junior year, he observed numerous surgeries and learned about the behind-the-scenes life of a practicing physician.
"Orthopedic physicians are dedicated to their work and are very comfortable with what they're doing. It's inspiring to watch them work, to see them make a discernible difference in a person's life by reconstructing an anterior cruciate ligament of the knee, and restoring a person's mobility," DeAngelis said.
On the right path
Despite his numerous scholastic achievements, DeAngelis says, "I try not to concern myself too much with school." This nonchalant attitude will no doubt surprise those who know him as a diligent student. In fact, in spite of other commitments he found time to spend the summer before his senior year studying at Trinity's Rome Campus. "I always try to find time to do the things I enjoy. Somehow it all gets done."Although he is very interested in a medical career that would allow him to remain close to competing athletes, the thought of teaching at the college level also appeals to him an idea that stems from his close dealings with Trinity faculty that began the day he decided to attend.
DeAngelis recalls the phone calls he placed as a high school senior to several colleges, including one to professor of chemistry David Henderson, then the chairman of Trinity's chemistry department.
"It was a unique conversation. None of the other people that I spoke to at other schools returned my call as promptly, as sincerely, or in such earnest," he said.
"Everyone has been very accommodating and encouraging," said DeAngelis. My advisor, Scovill Professor of Chemistry Ralph Moyer, has helped me put my feet on the right path. Having looked at other larger schools, I really couldn't have done what I've done here anywhere else. I'm just grateful for the opportunity to have been at Trinity."
-Suzanne Zack and Michael Bradley '98